Digicel Jamaica Wimax Review Part 2

VOIP services also benefited from the boost in the speeds. VOIP calls on the network prior to the speed bump was disjointed and broken up at times and I had one and two dropped calls on skype, this changed however with the massive bump in speeds, after which I am now able to comfortably make calls almost as clear as on a regular landline phone.

Network speeds in Meadowbrook ST Andrew properly illustrates the improved speeds available in and around a built up area.

The wifi is a nice addition; you can provide internet access to those in close vicinity without much fuss and tinkering. I was able to carpet my home in wifi signal even with it’s oddly shaped contours and thick walls, though the signal can be a bit low at times on the first storey(the modem is on the second storey).

Pricing and Conclusion

Digicel Wimax is available for prepaid only at this time during the soft launch, postpaid is expected to be cheaper and offer additional benefits.
The price are as follows:

1. Weekly: 1200 JMD (1560 JMD with GCT)
2. Monthly: 3000 JMD (3750 JMD with GCT)

During this period purchasing one month of service will give you an additional month free, you also get 24hrs of free trial time after registering your modem. The price you pay for the prepaid service will depend on where you bought your Digicel credit, I bought mine at a Digicel dealer store so it might be cheaper than buying for a 3rd party vendor.

How competitive is the price and service? The service is truly remarkable at the moment: latency is within normal range, speed is very good and consistent where I am and the hardware is portable (mind you the USB dongle) and carries out a relatively good job at what it is supposed to do. The pricing offers better value when compared with claro’s and LIME’s 3G systems for laptops and desktops. The biggest competition will be with Dekal and similiarly priced wifi offerings, however Digicel’s Wimax coverage vastly outdo them in this regard with coverage of 60% of all populated areas at this time. Speed and reach is also in favor of Digicel’s solution at this early time, though this will be put to test in coming months when more subscribers are added.

All in all the Wimax network now offers good value and a few nice promotions that people should seek to capitalize on, the coming months will be it’s test though when the subscriber base grows exponentially and the network is put to the test capacity-wise. This is the end of the second section of this review, my final roundup and opinions as well as future possibilities and suggestions coming up in a few days.